


New Dog, Old Tricks

by c0cunt



Series: Speaking To The Wolf Within [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Werewolves Are Known, M/M, Magic, Rituals, Werewolf Courting, Werewolf Culture, Werewolf Keith (Voltron), Werewolf Shiro (Voltron), they're all fucking werewolves okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-18 10:58:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14211675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/c0cunt/pseuds/c0cunt
Summary: Their decision to court unwavering, Coran tells Shiro and Keith what they need to do, to continue courting by Altea's strict laws.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I TOLD Y'ALL IN THE COMMENTS OF LEARNING CURVE THAT I HAD A PLAN UP MY SLEEVE, HERE IT BE

“So what you’re saying is-” Shiro started, only to be cut off by Keith, whose scent was bleeding nervousness and what could’ve been fear into the room.

 

“The only way for us to continue courting is if we tie our wolves.  Are you fucking joking?” Keith spat, though his anxiously moving hands told a different story than the anger in his voice.  Coran barely raised an eyebrow at Keith as Shiro anxiously bobbed around the smaller wolf, wanting to be soothing even though he was unintentionally ratcheting up the tension in the room.

 

“That, or you join a pack.  We both know that the Galra won’t have you, you were exiled from Marmora, and only a few _very_ special cases allow for loners to join Altea.  So, this is our only option, if you both are set on cour-”

 

“Yes!  Okay, fine, just….” Keith snapped, and Coran felt that much closer to the edge of his own sanity as Shiro whined, not soothingly in the least.  

 

“Obviously you have an issue with this idea, Kogane,” Coran started, already holding a hand up to keep the loner from interrupting him.  “Your body language, and your scent. I must know why you have reservations for this, even though you both obviously wish to continue courting.”

 

Keith’s eyes narrowed as his hands balled into fists, but his scent only changed in the slightest.  Shiro kept looking between Coran and Keith, begging for help with his eyes, and Coran couldn’t help but feel sorry for his clueless pack leader being so intent on soothing _this_ particular wolf.  Another low, anxious whine threaded through the room, warbling out of Keith’s throat unsteadily, as if it wasn’t used to making that sort of sound.  Shiro’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he shifted back and forth on his heels, before scooping the lone wolf into a tight hug. Keith froze for a moment, before melting into Shiro’s embrace, awkwardly patting the alpha in a way that spoke volumes on the amount of times Keith had been hugged in his life.  Coran softened a little, knowing that many wolves that came from both Galran and Marmoran packs were more than a little touch starved. He sighed, and tried to proceed a little more gently.

 

“Ko-...Keith.  As much as I would _love_ for there to be another way to allow your courtship, without a pack or tying wolves, there isn’t.  I think that it would be less draining on you to tie, but if you want to try rejoining Marmora…” Coran trailed off, almost helplessly shrugging.  Altean laws were terribly restrictive, up to and including the number of pups a mated pair could have in their lifetime (even though those laws had been petitioned and changed after a few centuries.  They did not, however, have a few centuries to petition for Shiro and Keith to be allowed to court.) Keith let out a long, shuddering sigh, and turned in Shiro’s arms to face Coran.

 

“My parents had tied their wolves, before I was born,” Keith started, in the blandest voice he had.  Coran’s eyebrows hit his hairline as Keith continued; “My father, he was a loner too, couldn’t stand pack life.  He left, and my mother’s wolf suffered for it. She could barely ever shift outside of the full moon, her senses were duller.  It was part of the reason she…” Keith trailed off, his teeth grinding together as he thought about what to say, before changing tracks.  “My father’s wolf didn’t suffer, until after she died. He came back about three days after her death, and demanded to know what had happened because he _felt…_ He said it felt like he died, and he didn’t smell like a wolf at all.”  What Keith refused to tell was how his father had looked at the pup he was, and turned his nose up at him - a small omega that was more bite than bark was absolutely _worthless_ to a lone wolf that didn’t know how to raise a child in the first place.  Only Kolivan knew what had happened, and there was no way Keith was going to allow anyone else to know.

 

A few ticks passed without speaking, Keith’s revelation stinking like a rotten kill on the brightly colored area rug that told the story of their wolves creation.  Shiro looked properly shocked, learning so much about the man his wolf wanted, and tightened his arms around Keith protectively. Coran, on the other hand, frowned, and squinted suspiciously.

 

“Do you know which wolves approved and performed their tying, by any chance?”  Coran asked, not unkindly. Keith squinted back, half in suspicion and half in contemplation, even as Shiro looked at Coran like he had just spat on his parent’s grave.

 

“I know that Honoria was one of them...I was never told of a second wolf being there at all…” Keith said slowly.  Coran visibly hesitated, before shaking his head slightly.

 

“Let me assure you, Keith, that I would not suggest tying your wolves if there was that sort of consequence for either of you.  I want Altea to be strong, and Shiro is the only wolf around who could lead us, and crippling his wolf like that would be the opposite of helpful.” Coran said pragmatically.  And, well, Keith prided himself on being a decent judge of character, and Allura always spoke highly of the older lawkeeper….Keith let out a long sigh, and turned his head slightly to look at Shiro, who still clung to him possessively.

 

“What do you think, Shiro?  Willing to tie yourself to a wolf you just met, to keep your stupidly rulebook-bound pack happy?” Keith tried not to sound too snarky, but Coran’s moustache twitched with his amusement as Shiro choked on his held breath before laughing hard enough to need to lean against Keith seriously.  Even when Shiro calmed down enough to respond, Keith thought for sure that the older man would be just as snarky.

 

“If it means a chance to be with you, then I'd do much more than just that,” Shiro said solemnly, and Keith almost wanted to flinch from how unbearably _sappy_ that was.

 

“What the fuck, Shiro,” Keith muttered so quietly Coran almost couldn't hear it.  But before Coran could mention that, Keith was also agreeing to the proposal, even though he did not look nearly as confident as Shiro did.

 

“Alright then gentlemen.  I’ll phone Allura, and then we can start the first half of the tying.”  Coran clapped his hands together once, before gathering up his supplies and phone, ushering the two younger wolves out his front door.  Perplexed, Shiro allowed himself to be manhandled, drawing a soothing thumb across the back of Keith’s neck when his hackles rose at such treatment.

 

“Wait, right now?  Where’re we going?”  Shiro asked, ducking obligingly into Coran’s franken-truck, carefully placing his feet on the very limited floorboard space that hadn’t rusted out.  Shiro flinched slightly as he heard Keith’s teeth grinding together, while Coran ignored them as he punched the call for Allura into the phone and the truck roared to life, lurching forward dangerously.

 

“Near my...Cabin is probably safest.  Far enough away that no Altean wolf will know what’s going on, and since it’s my territory, ain’t no one dumb enough to investigate.”  Keith bared his teeth in what was supposed to be a grin, his knuckles stark white against the darkly stained fabric of the seats around him.  Shiro almost felt like he was out of the loop, the thick taste of nervousness billowing off of Keith as Coran backtracked through the forest setting him on edge.

 

“So what does tying our wolves mean? How is it done?” Shiro asked over the engine's roar.  Coran tossed his phone aside, knowing Allura would meet them there, and decided that being blunt about what they had to do would be best.

 

“There's a small ritual, nothing too big.  You and Keith will be in your wolfskin, Allura and I burn a bit of your fur tied together and say the confirmations.  Then you two get to do the fun part... Obviously we'll give you two privacy for that, even though tradition states that it should be watched…” Coran trailed off, drumming his fingers against the wheel of the truck nervously.  Shiro tried to exchange a 'what is he talking about’ look with Keith, but the other wolf looked fractionally relieved for some reason.

 

“What do you mean by 'the fun part’?  Aren't most rituals, by definition, not fun?” Shiro tried to joke, as they skidded to a stop in the clearing near Keith's shack.  The half moon was high in the sky now, bathing the area in an almost mystic glow that made Shiro understand why Keith had chosen the area as his own: It was gorgeous, and so was the powerful gray wolf that was merely seconds behind their arrival.  Keith looked at Shiro like he wanted to knock some sense into the poor former human, but Allura shifted into her humanskin and already had the explanation on her tongue before Keith could beat her to it.

 

“The fun part is that you two have to mate in your wolf forms to complete the tying...Which, Coran, are you sure that this is a good idea? Nothing against either wolf, but they only _just_ met...”  Allura trailed off as Shiro's eyes bugged out of his head at this new information.

 

“They wish to continue courting, and that's the only way our laws allow for them to do so, unless Keith can rejoin a pack before morning.” The dry way Coran stated that made it sound like an impossibility, which, if what Shiro remembered learning about the initiations for Galra and Marmora packs were true, then it really would be impossible.  Allura wrinkled her nose in annoyance, and turned to face Keith, who had picked his way out of the franken-truck at the first opportunity.

 

“Keith, are you _sure_ about this?  Your freedom…” Allura murmured, eyeing her pack leader as if he were at fault.  Keith huffed out an annoyed sigh, glaring at Allura before letting his attention slide to Shiro, who still appeared to be shocked that there was more than just a spiritual aspect to tying their wolves.

 

“You know how my wolf can be.  It chose Shiro before I did.” Keith said simply, his gaze softening slightly.  Allura looked as though she didn't like that answer, even though she understood _completely._  But she let it go, only allowing a short unhappy sound to leave her throat as Coran flipped through pages in his book and groped around single handedly in his glove box for a lighter.

 

“Well, what are we waiting for then?  We're burning moonlight, boys,” Allura clapped her hands together, startling Shiro into remembering to leave the truck.  He finally caught Keith's eyes with his own, and let out a tiny huff that was partially exasperation.

 

“So much for a 'something more human’ first date, huh?” Shiro muttered, sliding up beside Keith.  Keith almost choked on his laugh, even though he could smell the tiny tinge of regret in Shiro's scent.

 

“I'll take a raincheck on that human date though.” Keith said solemnly as he patted Shiro's arm in a comforting manner.  Before Shiro could do anything more than smile so gently that it almost seared Keith's skin, Keith shifted, and decided not to allow himself to worry until after the ritual.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so it didn't make sense to create a whole new fic, when the events here take place immediately after what was supposed to be a stand alone fic. so!!! you get a new chapter!!!

Shiro’s gaze fell quickly, to follow as the man he had fallen for shifted into wolfskin.  Keith’s russet brown fur washed out pale under the moonlight, his head raised defiantly as if he would challenge the moon itself.  Keith’s eyes were still such an unusual color in his wolf form, looking up at Shiro expectantly, in the same manner as Allura and Coran.  Even as Shiro felt his wolf tugging excitedly, wanting to shift and twine under the moonlight with the omega it wanted, he held himself back.  An impatient whine rose from Keith, and Shiro let out a nervous whine of his own that brought Keith to his side, a soft press of fur trying to be soothing.

 

“Is something wrong, Shiro?”  Coran asked carefully. He had a feeling he knew what made Shiro hesitate, before his pack leader spoke up, pointedly not looking at Keith even as his hand sank into Keith’s fur.

 

“He's so…  _ Young. _  When I was sixteen, I was worrying about acne and my grades, not about something like…  _ This,” _ Shiro's voice wavered as he gestured widely to the clearing.  “And I'm not...Entirely  _ comfortable _ with the, uhm…Physical  _ tying _ part…”  Shiro trailed off as Keith let out another whine, confused and slightly hurt.  Allura narrowed her eyes at Shiro as she bared her teeth slightly, a growl threading its way out of her throat.

 

“Are you trying to say that you can't be with Keith now that you know he's younger than you, even though both your wolves want this?”  Allura asked, confusion and anger threading through her usually more neutral scent. Before Shiro could say anything in his defense, Allura continued bluntly:  “Because, no offense, but I can smell your earlier mating from where I’m standing, so that wasn’t a deterrent earlier.”

 

Shiro’s face heated up in record time, scenting the air as subtle as possible, and yup.  He could still smell their mixed scent from the bedding in Keith’s shack, syrup-thick and heady, enough to make him dizzy.  Even Keith seemed the slightest embarrassed, ears down as he shuffled his paws while Coran tried to hide his laughter.

 

“I didn’t know how old Keith was, until a few hours ago,” Shiro whined, distress billowing off of his scent in waves.  

 

“Does that change anything now?”  Allura asked, raising an eyebrow as Keith shifted back into humanskin at Shiro’s side, and Shiro nodded empathetically.

 

“It does!  Keith, you’re just a  _ teenager, _ you shouldn’t be thinking about participating in a ritual to tie a  _ very essential _ bit of yourself to someone older than you that you just barely met!”  Shiro jabbed a finger in Keith’s direction, who looked confused and slightly hurt.

 

“Humans have a different sense of what an adult is in their culture than we do,” Coran chimed in, and Shiro was about to thank him when Keith turned to him with curious eyes, naked as the day he was born.

 

“Does that mean you don’t consider me an adult now?”  Keith asked bluntly, crossing his arms over his chest.  Shiro spluttered slightly, frustrated by the way this was all going.

 

“No?  Yes? It’s complicated?”  Shiro whined, dragging a hand down his face.  How could he explain to a bunch of wolves, whose concept of adulthood seemed vastly different from the concept that he had been raised with, that it seemed  _ obscene _ to be with someone that was sixteen?  Just the fact that part of himself wanted nothing more than to be curled up close around Keith made Shiro feel...Not good.  Not to mention the hurt look on Keith’s face that he swiftly tried to hide made Shiro feel  _ much _ worse.  Allura let out a noisy breath through her nose that garnered everyone’s attention, a contemplative look on her face.

 

“Is it odd that I feel like I almost understand?”  She asked rhetorically. Before anyone could attempt to answer that in a serious manner, she bluntly barrelled ahead, eyes flicking between Keith and Shiro.  “Until my father’s death, Keith and I were promised to each other since his birth, to strengthen pack ties. First, to strengthen Altean and Galra ties, but when that didn’t work, Altean and Marmoran.  After his death, the contracts were nullified, but still. Keith is six years younger than me, and it felt...Wrong, I want to say, knowing that after he’d reached his sixteenth, we were to be mated.” Allura’s face scrunched up in distaste, and shook her head vigorously at that thought.

 

Keith let out a loud groan, letting his head thud against Shiro’s shoulder, as the alpha stared at Allura in shock.  While the concept of arranged marriages for political power was something he had learned about,  _ in history textbooks, _ the idea that anything like that still existed in the modern age...Shiro shook his head slowly, his mind racing to read the way the two wolves interacted in a different light, with the knowledge he now had.

 

“Look what you’ve done, ‘Lura, you’ve broken him,” Keith snapped, turning Shiro away from the other wolves in the clearing to face him alone.  Slowly, Keith lifted his hands to cup Shiro’s face, and Keith’s mouth twitched into a slight lopsided smile as Shiro covered both of his hands with his own.  Shiro closed his eyes as he let out a distressed whine, and Keith pressed his body along the front of Shiro’s, letting out a soothing sound as best he could in humanskin.

 

“Hey,” Keith said lowly, stroking his thumbs along Shiro’s jaw.  Shiro cracked an eye open to look down at Keith, a hum to encourage the other man to speak his only acknowledgement.  “We don’t have to do this, y’know. We can walk away, say to hell with courting. Give it a few years, and we’ll see where we’re at, yeah?”

 

Shiro stared down at Keith, surprised but also thankful.  Even if he didn’t  _ understand _ Shiro’s feelings, Keith wanted Shiro to be able to  _ choose _ what he wanted. Shiro’s eyes widened slightly, and he swung his head around to look back at Allura, who tried to look on impassively - it now made sense why she had been so concerned about  _ Keith _ tying himself down.  It felt like a punch to his gut, and Shiro could barely catch his breath as he looked again at Keith, who had never had  _ a choice _ up until Alfor’s death to choose freely.  And now, the younger wolf wanted  _ him, _ and was still giving him an out...Shiro felt like he could cry, as Keith’s hands slid down to his arms, kneading his hands soothingly into the tense muscle.  Shiro sighed deeply, and leaned his head down, resting against Keith shoulder with a sigh.

 

“I want you,” Shiro mumbled plainly, feeling Keith’s body tense slightly against his.  “I want you, but god, I don’t want you to do this because you feel... _ Obligated. _  Screw what my pack wants, what do you want, Keith?”  Shiro asked, slowly sliding down onto his knees in front of Keith, whose mouth opened slightly with surprise as his pupils blew out.  Keith’s scent changed suddenly, and Shiro was drowning in the scent of Keith’s desire, breathing in deeply as he leaned forward, resting his head against the joint of Keith’s hip.  Someone cleared their throat loudly, but that didn’t phase Keith, and even though Shiro flinched a bit at the sound he didn’t take his eyes off of Keith.

 

“I want you too,” Keith whispered, a dirty secret that made Shiro warm all over.  One of Keith’s hands brushed through Shiro’s hair, and Shiro leaned into the touch with a hum as Keith slowly put together his thoughts, eyebrows knit together as he mulled over his words.

 

“I’m.  Worried.  About tying.”  Keith muttered haltingly, not looking at Shiro.  “I don’t have any other reservations about being with you, just...My wolf…”  Keith let out an uneasy sound, and Shiro stood up as he turned back to Coran and Allura pleadingly, both of whom averted their gazes.

 

“Are you sure there’s…”  Shiro started to ask, trailing off as Coran shook his head.  “No?” Shiro tried again, and even Allura looked embarrassed by the way he sounded as Coran continued to shake his head.  Shiro turned back to Keith, whose scent was slowly returning back to anxious. “What do you want to do?” Shiro asked, his shoulders slumping in defeat.  Keith bared his teeth for a moment, obviously not liking the idea that much, before he sighed and pressed himself against Shiro’s side.

 

“...We’re burning moonlight.  Let’s do this,” Keith muttered, slipping a hand into Shiro’s and squeezing tightly for a moment.  Shiro squeezed back, and allowed himself to shift at the same time that Keith did, a delighted howl rising out of his throat before his vocal cords had fully changed.  Keith barked out what could’ve been a laugh, as Allura and Coran stepped forward to start the ritual.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading!! lemme know what you thought in the comments!


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